Many computing device users generally employ more than one computing device to complete their workflows throughout any given day. For instance, a user may have different computing devices that remain within fixed locations at home and at work. The user may also carry a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, that remains on their person at all times.
With the advent of networks, such as the Internet, various technological advancements have enabled users to perform workflows across these devices. Such advancements have eliminated the concern for transferring workflow documents from a computing device to a portable storage device, and subsequently transferring (e.g., via the portable storage device) the workflow documents to other computing devices for continued modification thereon. In one aspect, documents can now be transferred from one computer to another computer, via email or cloud-based storage services, so users can easily access a most-current copy of a workflow document using multiple computing devices. For example, a user can review and/or modify a workflow document on a desktop computer at a work office, then save the workflow document for transfer and subsequent review and/or modification at a different location, such as a home office.
The problem with traditional cross-device workflows, however, is rooted in the inefficiencies associated with inter-device transfer of the workflow document. Transferring a workflow document between devices, oftentimes more than once, unnecessarily consumes network bandwidth, memory storage space, processing resources, and user time. For instance, the transfer of a workflow document between two or more devices consumes bandwidth associated with the negotiation between the devices, in addition to the transfer of the workflow document. The transfer also consumes processing and memory resources associated with each device, such as saving or storing the workflow document, sending or receiving the workflow document, and opening or closing the workflow document.
Moreover, when a document is transferred to a device and opened for modification thereon, the user must traverse the document to find the relevant portion of the document on which to perform the modification, which can take additional time. By way of example only, assume that a user receives a digital document that needs to be reviewed and electronically signed by the user. The user reviews the digital document on his work office computer, but has to leave before making a decision to electronically sign it. To extend his workflow across multiple devices, the user must be able to transfer the document from his work office computer to another device on which he must retrieve, open, review, and electronically sign the document.
The wide-spread adoption of cross-device workflow technologies reveals that cross-device workflow is a key productivity-enhancing factor in today's world. While traditional approaches are helpful in facilitating cross-device workflow, they still require that the workflow document be transferred between devices.